opinions on grad school?

In my opinion, I suggest you consider employment in your discipline IF you can find it. Education is the foundation of your career, but employers want persons with *some* experience. With experience in your discipline, you will also be able to make decisions regarding continuation of your education. Many, not all, employers are reluctant to pay a salary and train the employee. Yes, there are cases where the opposite is true. Read the want ads to determine the requirements for your discipline and the salaries offered during the time you have to make your decision. Find out what employers want and adjust your continued studies accordingly. I have met several fellow engineers that have engineering positions that are NOT in their respective fields. Don't over qualify yourself with an education that has no employment opportunities - it does happen.

I hope my opinion helps, Jim Y

IMHO: math skills degrade fairly rapidlyafter graduation, making going straight for an MS a good idea. Further, most respectable MSE programs offer full support + stipend well over $1k/mo, enough to live comfortably on since you are accustomed to student life. Also, most materials MS programs emphasize experimental work, so you are getting hands-on experience. Most of all, though, is that the MS opens up several jobs (in your case, in new areas as well), while closing few or none that you really would want. In your case, the MSE students are individually recognizable, while ME students are so numerous that they might be sausages -- this is valuable when differentiating yourself in trying to find a job. In fact, it is probably the reason why the MSE students are all employed almost every year, while dozens of ME or EE or etc. students from each department are still looking.